The film follows Dr. Martin Luther King during the summer of
1964 as he organizes and prepares to lead a march from Selma to Montgomery. In
the South, where despite lip-service being paid to equality legislation racial
tensions still run high often with violent or fatal consequences and black
people are routinely prevented from voting, King has his work cut out for him.
When the president tells King that he will not be focussing on enforcing laws
allowing black people to vote in the south, the civil rights leader decides
that he will travel to Alabama to engage in peaceful protest in an attempt to
change minds.
A commanding central performance by David Oyelowo carries
the drama and we get not only the famous public face of Martin Luther King, but
also a look at the private life of the man behind the historic speeches. Along
with Carmen Ejogo, who plays his wife Coretta King, we get a portrait of an
ordinary man who made an extraordinary contribution to the civil rights
movement. The film starts with the two of them and throughout the film shows
the personal toll King's actions are taking on him and his wife and friends. We
also see the horror of institutional racism, with police and judges displaying
no empathy as the brutally deal with the peaceful protestors. Tom Wilkinson
plays President Lyndon B. Johnson, frustrated by King's influence and
popularity and wishing that the whole problem would just disappear. Johnson is
portrayed more as an obstacle to equality through his unwillingness to act
rather than necessarily opposed to King's goal. The real villainous role
belongs to Tim Roth, the racist governor of Alabama, George Wallace, who seems
to be struggling to come to terms with the concept of equal rights, and
offended that King is even considering demanding them. Although only a half
century ago, it may be hard for modern viewers to understand or recognize a
society where racism was such an ingrained mentality, but this film does a
great job of taking you into that world of shocking sentiments.
Ava DuVernay's direction helps creates a sense of the
importance of this story and of King's role. The sequences of marches and
speeches are like a general leading his troops into battle. Religion played a
major role in King's life and we are given the barnstorming sermons that
typified his speech, quoting scripture and his unwavering certainty that one
day they would be vindicated. There are a few nice touches, such as occasional
FBI notes appearing on screen to show that King was being monitored as a
radical throughout his career. As a historical drama it doesn't get too bogged
down in exposition or characters, with everything being presented naturally
helped by a great supporting cast. The music is a fantastic mix of southern
blues and gospel choirs that helps place it in time and creates a vibrancy and
sense of vast cultural upheaval through the off-beat improvisational nature of
the score.
An important story about an incredible historical figure.
Worth watching if you want to understand what was happening at that time and
why King is rightly remembered as such an important part of the equal rights
movement.
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